Microsoft’s search engine Bing came out with a rewards program in a soft whimper launch in September 2010. Bing targets Google primarily as their number one competitor. But what about Swagbucks, probably the most well known rewards search engine? I am an avid Swagbucks user myself, with a lifetime reward points earnings of 12,950 Swagbucks since 2009. I’ve redeemed for four free movie tickets and a $50 donation to the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief fund. But I am willing to entertain another rewards engine if it is worth my time.

So, is Bing Rewards worth my time?

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen Bing Rewards discussed much in the personal financial realm and when I asked fellow bloggers at FINCON12 a few weeks ago no one seemed to know what it was. So I’d like to take the time to compare the two search engine reward programs and see which one is better for those of us who enjoy accumulating points.

Rewards You Just for Signing Up

Swagbucks periodically offers introductory promotions, like this one where if you use the code FINCONF2012 when signing up you will receive 80 bucks (expires 9/28/12). Even if you do not have a code, Swagbucks typically offers up to 30 bucks to get your bucks account started. Bing has offered 250 points in the past for signing up, which is very generous. I beleive I was awarded 250 points when I signed up, but I can’t seem to find any promotional information. Still, point to Bing!

Point Goes to: Bing

Rewards you for More than Using the Search Engine

Both search engines reward you for searching the internet. Using Bing, you earn 1 credit for every two searches with a maximum of up to 15 credits earned per day. Swagbucks has no earning maximum. Bing Rewards offers bonus points for different levels of completion (silver and gold status). Swagbucks has many extra ways to earn points such as signing up for offers, sending in a photo or video with you and your new swagbucks prize, voting in polls, putting in special codes they release on social media, and surveys. Swagbucks also offers Mega Swag Bucks Fridays (once I won 25 bucks from one search!). While Bing will reward you additional points for trying out new Bing features, Swagbucks offers many more bucks-earning opportunities besides searching the internet.

There are not many of the same prizes and rewards offered on both sites in order to do a comparison in the amount of points it takes to reach redemption. Also, there are other variables involved that are not measurable (i.e. with Swagbucks you never know how many points you will accumulate for searches vs. with bing you know you can accumulate 15 credits per day if you do 30 searches). However, we can do some sort of comparison. For example, each site offers a Starbucks $5 gift card. For Bing, you need to earn 525 credits for this reward. For Swagbucks, you must have 635 bucks. A $5 amazon.com gift card for bing takes 525 credits and for Swagbucks takes 450 bucks. Considering that you generally earn points every few searches (in my experience) in denominations greater than 1 with Swagbucks and considering they have no maximum limit, based off of these limited comparisons I think you get more bang for your points with their program.

Point Goes to: Swagbucks

Has a Much Bigger Selection of Prizes

At the time of writing this there are 2074 prizes to choose from when redeeming bucks at Swagbucks and only 19 prize choices for Bing Rewards. It should be noted that when you reach the gold status membership level with Bing you can get up to a 5% discount on Microsoft Points and the Xbox Gold Subscription, which is definitely a benefit to people who purchase these products.

Point Goes to: Swagbucks

Conclusion: I am Sticking with Swagbucks

Swagbucks offers more bucks-earning opportunities, has a greater selection of rewards to choose from, and is definitely more user-friendly than bing. Bing Rewards is a bit stuffy for my liking as far as a rewards search engine is concerned. However, bing might fare well as a regular search engine if you are looking for an alternative to Google (you do not have to sign up for Bing Rewards if you wish to use the Bing search engine, unlike with Swagbucks where you have to be a member of their rewards program).

Have you guys heard of bing rewards? Do you currently use a rewards search engine, and if so, which one?

I signed up, very excited to start getting something for free! Also, it started me out with 100 swagbucks, I don’t know if the code gave me 80 on top of 20 that they would have given me anyway, or if the code gave me all 100.Gen Y Finance Journey recently posted..The Importance of Reevaluating

I’ve never heard of Bing rewards before. Need to try them out! I use swagbucks all the time. I also love My points. I earned 2 $25 Walmart giftcards this year so far by just reading daily e-mails and doing search every day. It quickly accumulates!Lena at frugalandthankful recently posted..Hello Murphy…Can’t say we missed you

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Thanks for reaching out. Swagbucks is absolutely awesome! But no, you do not get a reward for every search that you do. They decide when you get one, and for how much. So just keep searching like you normally would and they’ll come!

I'm not super-human, nor am I a financial advisor (you can stalk my About page for more about me)...but I do have this crazy ability to handle my own money + teach others how to handle theirs to its maximum potential. Still, I'm obligated to tell you that this site is for information and entertainment purposes only, and the content herein should not be mistaken for professional financial advice (thank goodness, right? I'm more real than that). It is highly recommended that you seek advice from a professional for serious financial matters. This site and I may be compensated for expressing personal opinions regarding featured products and services.